Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsukuba and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,104 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,104

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tsukuba and in Hong Kong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tsukuba and in Hong Kong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,104 per month in Tsukuba vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,104
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,754 per month in Tsukuba vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,754
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Tsukuba vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Tsukuba $2,404
Hong Kong $6,183

Tsukuba is about 63% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tsukuba sits 18% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 121% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 ¥1,024

$7.75 HK$60.8

-16.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ¥5,269

$64.7 HK$508

-48.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥791

$6.18 HK$48.51

-18.93%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ¥433

$5.08 HK$39.85

-46.06%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥162

$1.31 HK$10.31

-21.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥118

$1.09 HK$8.56

-32.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥347

$7.47 HK$58.6

-70.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ¥506

$6.50 HK$51.0

-50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$2.89 HK$22.71

-49.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ¥264

$2.31 HK$18.14

-27.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ¥488

$2.13 HK$16.71

45.07%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$3.52 HK$27.65

-40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ¥1,614

$24.72 HK$194

-58.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ¥952

$8.52 HK$66.9

-29.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 ¥2,267

$18.00 HK$141

-20.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 ¥921

$4.18 HK$32.79

39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$2.68 HK$21.07

5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥443

$4.49 HK$35.22

-37.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$4.03 HK$31.66

2.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$3.12 HK$24.51

-15.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$3.15 HK$24.72

-18.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ¥134

$1.62 HK$12.75

-47.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$1.74 HK$13.66

-53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥594

$13.50 HK$106

-72.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 ¥973

$16.54 HK$130

-62.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$1.94 HK$15.19

-7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$2.18 HK$17.11

-3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥230

$1.41 HK$11.04

2.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,337

$88.6 HK$696

-40.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$3.69 HK$28.94

-13.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥426

$1.32 HK$10.36

104.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.78 ¥3,282

$15.77 HK$124

31.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$4.03 HK$31.65

-73.95%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-51.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-51.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$129 ¥20.4K

$250 HK$1,959

-48.14%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.48 ¥3,868

$15.60 HK$122

56.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,158

$21.77 HK$171

49.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ¥8,472

$94.2 HK$739

-43.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 ¥1,955

$13.91 HK$109

-11.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$94.2 ¥14.9K

$1,162 HK$9,122

-91.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-32.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.72 ¥7,382

$68.0 HK$534

-31.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,888

$41.91 HK$329

-11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.06 ¥6,013

$79.7 HK$626

-52.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.11 ¥6,495

$122 HK$956

-66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥73.6K

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-79.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 ¥44.4K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-83.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 ¥170.7K

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ¥99.4K

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-81.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,648 ¥734.4K

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-84.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥312.8K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-88.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,449 ¥228.8K

$3,271 HK$25.7K

-55.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

-48.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tsukuba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Tsukuba

$285 25.8%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 44% $125

Accommodation & Living

Tsukuba

$281 25.4%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 512% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsukuba

$187 16.9%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 53.8% $100

Eating Out

Tsukuba

$124 11.3%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 62.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Tsukuba

$78 7.1%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 55.6% $44

Getting Around

Tsukuba

$75 6.8%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 38.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Tsukuba

$73 6.7%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 90.8% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $466 in Tsukuba versus $2,241 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 126% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Tsukuba versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $411 – making Tsukuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

1 h behind Tsukuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,398

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Tsukuba Hong Kong 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tsukuba
Hong Kong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tsukuba vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,104 in Tsukuba, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 170% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,656 per month in Tsukuba and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tsukuba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Tsukuba and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,104 in Tsukuba and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 170%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tsukuba, where all-in costs run around $1,104, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Tsukuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,104 in Tsukuba to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tsukuba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.